Namaskar!

The festivals of Dhanteras and Diwali are around the corner. But before these, a grand festival of health is being celebrated in Gujarat. We worship Lord Dhanvantari here on Dhanteras. Lord Dhanvantari is said to be the father of Ayurveda and it is believed that the treatment of the gods was done by Lord Dhanvantari. Therefore it can be said that he is the god of health. And a person's health is greater than his wealth and fortune. It has been said in the scriptures too-

आरोग्यम् परमं भाग्यम्।

And I am extremely delighted because the work that has been done under the leadership of Bhupendrabhai today, wouldn't have been thought about during the festival of Diwali. Everyone is usually in a festive mood. But today, once this programme here is over, a campaign will begin to deliver the cards to about 1.5 - 2 lakh people by tonight. I wish to congratulate all my old colleagues, friends in the government as well as the government officials to have undertaken such a humongous task during Diwali. I am sure that this hard work of yours will bring us great success! We have a saying - 'Sarve Santu Niramaya' which means that everyone should be free from diseases. Ayushman Bharat is striding ahead with this very idea of our ancestors by being a protective shield of every person, every family and the society. Your objective of reaching 50 lakh beneficiaries, i.e. half the population of Gujarat with this campaign is really commendable! I really appreciate your endeavour to find and identify people from every district, taluka or gram panchayat who have not received the cards. You will be showered with the blessings of the elderly people for this task. We are well aware of the insurance schemes of the progressive countries or the developed countries all over the World. But we are one step ahead of those countries with not just health insurance but also health assurance! And we have got your support and cooperation to fulfil this dream.

Today's event is an example of how we can bring amazing results when there is a politically stable government and its work culture is completely sensitive and dedicated to the society. And this is what the country and Gujarat are witnessing today. Earlier, there used to be a government and everything else. However, implementation of the scheme was synonymous with merely lighting a lamp inside a big auditorium or cutting a ribbon, or delivering a good speech! And the matter would end there. Only a handful of aware or informed people used to take advantage of the schemes. Most often than not the benefits that should have been availed by the real beneficiaries used to go to some middlemen, and the scheme would end like this. We have changed this previous practice. If money is being spent, it should also be beneficial to the people. Implementation doesn't only mean holding a launch ceremony, lighting the lamp or cutting the ribbon. Instead the government should go to every household, find the needy, reach them and solve their problems. So, we have taken such a big step and are moving forward with it.

Today, when a scheme is formulated, the government first works out all the needs and requirements of the ordinary citizens, and the things that are needed to be changed in the long run. It takes into consideration the obstacles in the lives of the poor, the middle class, and then the government finds solutions to remove these obstacles. As a result, the government comes with a better policy. When a policy is formulated after this exercise, it ensures the involvement of everyone. Later, certain additions are made. For example, Bhupendrabhai's government has increased its scope and has increased the number of beneficiaries. Therefore, many people from the middle class could also avail the benefits of the scheme and the government is carrying the benefits of all these schemes to the doorstep of every beneficiary. So, we are working in that direction.

Friends,

When the citizen of the country is empowered, he becomes powerful! And when you are powerful, nothing can stop you! That's why we have decided to empower all the citizens of India, especially the women. Earlier the poor women had to bear the smoke of the wood in the kitchens that caused diseases. Today, due to the free gas connection to the poor, we could save them from that ordeal. Today we are giving pucca houses to the poor to uplift their standard of giving and free them from every big or small issue. Tapped water that supplies potable drinking water as well as the construction or the toilets prevent diseases from entering the house. We are paying attention to all these basic works. Even when the pandemic had hit the entire world, we did not allow any poor household to go without food. We have ensured that about 80 crore people continue to get free food for 2-2.5 years.

Moreover, if the child is not healthy, then the country will not be healthy. We need to come out of malnutrition. And now Gujarat has started a massive campaign. C.R. Patil ji has started the work with a major objective to ensure that everyone comes out of it. Schemes like Ayushman Bharat Yojana and PMJAY, have become very good examples due to the efforts of his government. People around the world are discussing these schemes. And as I said, we have taken up this enormous task of giving 50 lakh Ayushman cards during Diwali. There was a time, if someone was ill in the house, especially our mothers and sisters, they would mortgage the mangalsutra and bring Rs 5000 - Rs 10,000 for the treatment. We have seen such days. Today all that compulsion is gone. Today the Ayushman cards are like gold for you. This is that golden card which you might need in the middle of the night. Even at midnight, if you take the card and reach the hospital, the treatment will begin immediately. It works like gold. Isn't it? And that's why I call it an ATM of Rs 5 lakhs. Just like we withdraw money from ATMs when needed, it will help you in the same way. We want more and more people of the society to get the benefit of this scheme. We want everyone to live longer. Suppose a 30-year-old of the family gets the Ayushman card and suppose he lives for 70 years. It means that if he avails the scheme every year and uses the entire Rs 5 Lakhs, his family alone would be getting about 1.5 crore - 2 crore from the government till his lifetime. Rs 5 lakh from the government annually is available to him till the time he survives. Today, if a common man has to undergo surgery or falls ill with different diseases, then he would lose his job. But today he can be healthy because of this scheme. A short while back, I met Piyush Bhai. He had been so weak. Just imagine! If this Ayushman card was not available, Piyush Bhai would have had to face a lot of trouble in his life. So the benefit of all the schemes actually gives strength to the society. So Ayushman is really the biggest saviour for your family!

Brothers and Sisters,

So far 4 crore people around the country have taken advantage of the schemes. In Gujarat, about 50 lakh people have taken advantage of the same. And because of all the treatment, those beneficiaries are living a happy life today! A lot of their money has been saved. If you go and ask each one of them, some would say they have saved Rs 5 lakhs, some would say Rs 8 lakhs! Not a single penny was spent out of their pockets.These people are raising their children in a healthy way now. I am glad that today more and more people are taking the benefits of Ayushman Bharat. We are trying to ensure that no one falls ill and even if someone falls ill, he should not be compelled to live with it and instead should get treated for the disease. And I would say that mothers and sisters have been empowered with this. You are well aware that the women of the household neglect themselves. If a mother is suffering with an illness, she doesn't let her family know about it. She keeps on working despite the illness because she has only one thought in her mind - if the family comes to know about the disease, they will spend on her medicines. And that will increase their debt. Hence she hides it and endures everything. Now you tell me how long these mothers will bear this? And who other than this son will get those mothers out of this problem? That is why we have come up with this scheme now so that the mothers will not have to hide their illness anymore or avoid medicines for the sake of children. And the government will give money and take care of your illnesses.

I would especially request our mothers and sisters to have Ayushman Cards. And if you fall sick, you must get yourself admitted to a hospital. If you have to spend a couple of days at the hospital, maybe the children back home will face some problems, but later you will have peace of mind. Even if the children at home face some hardship temporarily, You must get your check-up done at least once. I remember, when I was in Gujarat, I introduced ‘Chiranjeevi Yojana’. Earlier, at the time of delivery either the mother or the child or both of them used to die. I unveiled Chiranjeevi Yojana to save them and the hospitals started to take care of them. Now a large number of expectant mothers are getting admitted to hospitals in Gujarat, who earlier preferred to get the delivery done at home. Not only that, to take care of the newborn babies, we introduced schemes like ‘BalBhog Yojana’, ‘Khilkhilahat Yojana’ and ‘Balmitra Yojana’. Because of these schemes, a phenomenal change took place in their lives. During that period I introduced Mukhyamantri Amritam Yojana-MAA Yojana, and now PMJAY-MA scheme. The entire scheme has become a new one. The PMJAY Yojana and Maa Yojana have been amalgamated to make it PMJAY-MA. The Gujarat Government has further extended the PMJAY-MA scheme. I believe that you have already been reaping the benefits of these schemes. Now with further extension of the benefits of the scheme, it will help you all the more during hardship. The Gujaratis are not only confined to Gujarat these days. They visit other states too. Now if you are in a different state, then what happens? As I said, it is such a golden card that if you go to Mumbai, or Kolkata, and if you happen to fall sick then you can get your treatment done there itself. We have thought about it so that people get treatment everywhere. Wherever may the family members stay, the entire family can take the benefit of it. Not only that, those who have come to this state from outside can also reap the benefit of this scheme. In other words, a citizen of India can avail the benefit of this scheme in any corner of India. We have ensured that the people do not have to face hardship when there is this golden card.

I am glad that I got an opportunity to meet you. You need not worry about expenditure on health anymore. Best wishes to all! Thanks a lot!

DISCLAIMER: This is the approximate translation of PM’s speech. Original speech was delivered in Hindi.

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DS/IG/AK